Meeting Once Again
by When the Moon Met the Sun
Summary: Zatch had gone back to the mamodo world as the new King. Kiyo is now eighteen and moving on with his life, but he can't shake the feeling that there is something more to be done.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first Fanfic so I hope I get some reviews…

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Zatch Bell! They, along with all other relations to the plot, belong to Makoto Raiku. _

It had been almost a year since Zofis's book had been burned and the end of the Mamodo battle. In the quiet city of Mochinoki everything seemed to be back to normal. There were no rouge teams out to get one another or brave children fighting to become King. One year ago Zatch became the King of the Mamodo world.

We faced many tough adversaries—Zatch and I—but overcame the odds. He defeated his brother and with the help of our friends, Zofis also returned home. The remaining mamodo went all out against each other, but it wouldn't matter who won: either way there would be a kind King.

I sat the park reflecting on all the battles I shared with the young King. Zatch Bell made quite an impact in my life when he showed up that day. It was my fourteenth birthday and my dad sent me the boy as a present.

I never expected to form such a close bond with Zatch. It just… happened. It was difficult parting with him. I wanted him to stay and I even considered taking him with me once Zofis was defeated. But I didn't. I knew how much Zatch desired to end the battles. I fought and together we came out on top.

Yeah, I cried when he was finally gone. Not only had I lost my partner, but my best friend. We all sat there bawling our eyes out, not being able to wrap our heads around the idea that they were gone. Megumi no longer had Tia, Sunbeam was Ponygon-less, and Kanchome had left Folgore. We were a miserable group.

There is one thing in particular that keeps occupying my thoughts. Zatch's words right before he left are permanently engraved in my mind. Zatch was in horrible condition, but his happiness overshadowed all the injuries. Tears streamed down his face as he hugged me.

"_Kiyo," he started, "I won't ever forget you." He paused to wipe his tears and I hugged him again. Zatch sobbed harder. "Kiyo, I promise I'll see you again! I swear I'll come back!" All I could do was nod and try to etch every detail of him into my memory._

"_I'll try day and night to return and…Kiyo?"_

"_Yes, Zatch?" I whispered. _

"_I love you." He said and then he was gone._

My energy failed me at that point and I collapsed, tears flowing freely. I'm probably hoping too much for it to be true. I hope not since I'm not the only one who wishes for them to be back.

The wind ruffles my hair and I think of why no one stayed in touch. Once everything was over, everyone went their separate ways. We promised to stay keep in contact, but work never allowed us to meet. It was just the occasional phone call, if that. I especially miss Megumi.

She's having a concert here next month, and I hope Suzy asks me to go with her. My eighteenth birthday is also next month. I'm about to graduate high school as valedictorian, too. I guess things aren't as bad as they seemed.

I mentioned work and that's because I finally got a job. The local orphanage needed people and I applied. The kids remind me of Zatch, but I was fired a couple days ago. They were able to find homes for most of the kids, and the others will be sent to another orphanage in Tokyo. I'm not in any rush to find another job; I don't need the money.

The sun starts to go down and a quick glance at my watch tells me it's time to go. I grab my backpack that I always carry with me by habit and sprint home. '_The track team has a meeting next week_,' I remember while running. I'm the fastest runner on the men's team, which isn't much of a surprise. I got into great shape those years fighting mamodo.

Mom isn't home since she and Dad had gone on a month-long vacation. I was home alone and I'm proud to say that I can cook now. I whipped up some sushi for dinner and was about to finish some of my homework when the doorbell rang. I wasn't expecting anybody tonight, but it definitely wasn't going to be someone looking for a fight.

Outside on my doorstep was a package wrapped in brown paper and scribbled in the corner were the words _Kiyomaro Takamine_. I picked it up carefully, taking it to my room and placing it on the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

_Second chapter..woo-hoo!_

"What could it be?" I asked myself. Explosives? Poison? The cookbook my mom ordered? It could be anything, but I did know one thing: it was obviously meant for me. I thought about throwing it out the window, but curiosity got the better of me.

Hesitantly, I tore the paper off and found a box. '_Harmless enough_,' I thought. Opening it I found another box. This frustrated me and I began to suspect this was some sort of practical joke. The only thing that kept me from hurling it out the window was the hope that he'd be back. I know. Zatch doesn't have anything to do with this box, but somehow he did.

Okay, so maybe I'm losing it. I've been perfectly normal my whole life. Not. It had to happen eventually so why not now? Why not go insane now and not have to worry about it later? I decided to open the second box and surprise! Inside was another box. This was the last straw.

"Goodbye cursed box!" I chucked it out my window and heard it hit the fence. Forgetting about the stupid package I went to sleep mumbling about stupid people who leave stupid boxes on other people's stupid doorsteps.

Early next morning the first thing that came to my mind was the box. I knew it was immature of me to just dispose of it without even bothering to open it. After I dressed in my usual button-up shirt, I grabbed a granola bar and went to search for my package. I looked for almost an hour and didn't find anything. '_Oh, well_.' Instead of cleaning up around the house like I should have I decided to go to the park again to clear my head.

It was strangely empty for a Saturday morning. There were no hyper kids running around or affectionate couples lounging on the grass. It was only me, which was fine. I found my favorite tree and leaned against it. Instinctively, I reached into my bag for a book. I'd gotten used to expecting the red book and not having it. I had to finish the book for History class, and as it progressed I dozed off.

It must have been noon when I awoke. It was lunch time. I stuffed the book into my bag, but it didn't fit. I peeked inside and found something I hadn't originally been carrying: a box. Maybe I had a stalker that was leaving these mysterious parcels. It could have been Suzy. I figured out she had a crush on me when the mamodo battle ended. That explained a lot of things like how she always seemed to know things I never told her and how every time I gave her a compliment she'd space out. She was a good friend, but the feeling wasn't mutual.

Anyway, I doubted it could have been Suzy because she was in America with some relatives. I was determined to open _this_ box. I quickly ripped it open and to my surprise I didn't find another box. Instead there was a white envelope with a red wax seal. It looked pretty important. After carefully removing the seal, I gingerly withdrew a small card. A white rose adorned the cover and it seemed like an invitation. The inside proved my thought; it read:

Kiyomaro Takamine;

You are hereby invited to the ball and feast being held by Lord Kory Bastian on Saturday. A plane ticket is enclosed for transportation. Accommodation and all other fees shall be taken care of by the Lord. Please be prompt.

Time: 6 PM

Location: Hobark Castle

'I'm _being invited to a ball…by Kory?!_' There sure was a lot of secrecy for just an invitation. But someone had put it in my bag while I was asleep so I suppose they really wanted me to get it. I had the feeling that if I didn't show up I would be making a huge mistake. I raced home to pack even though the flight left on Wednesday.

A thousand thoughts flashed through my head as I packed my luggage. The trip had me excited and I hadn't been to England in years. Kory was now a Lord?! Was it even he same Kory I'd met on my first trip there? It had to be; there was no other Kory I knew. Who else would I see?

As I cooked dinner—chicken teriyaki—something nagged me in the back of my mind. I couldn't exactly tell what it was, but I couldn't shake it away either. I was so preoccupied with figuring it out that my chicken got a little overcooked. It was still good, though.

I was restless at night; confusing dreams came and went, robbing me of precious sleep. Nothing made sense and the last one was the strangest.

A dense fog filled my room and I couldn't see two feet in front of me. Instead of doing the logical thing and searching for a light, I jumped out of bed and tripped. On the floor I recognized a body and it reminded me of someone. A low snarl came from behind me, but as I turned around the dream ended. I couldn't find the logic in that one, but then again, half the things I dream make as much sense as a bum on the streets.

Monday mornings were always brutal for me. Two cups of steaming coffee brought me to life again. The caffeine would do me good and would not stunt my growth since I was already almost six feet tall. I grabbed a banana and chose to pay Ivy at the Botanical Garden a visit.

It turns out that she wasn't there since she was on vacation also. My parents were in Hawaii and Ivy was in Brazil, where the Amazon is. Figures she'd go somewhere with plants. Come to think of it, she was probably going to save the rainforest.

The next few days passed at the speed of snail. During the day I'd wander around town, and at night I'd try to get more than six hours of sleep. Finally, Wednesday came and I traveled bright and early to the Mochinoki airport. My flight left at noon and arrived on Thursday at 6 AM with a couple stops in between. While I was in the boarding hall, I called Kane to tell him I couldn't make it to the meeting; I had meningococcal meningitis.

I brought my laptop along and it kept me from dying of boredom on the plane. The girl next to me kept trying to make conversation with me. I think she was Polish since I didn't understand a thing she said. The coveted window seat was mine. Outside clouds followed clouds, which followed more clouds. All in all, there wasn't much to see. The in-flight movie was in Dutch which didn't make any sense. After what felt like a lifetime, I landed in London. People scurried about searching for luggage, family, and food. That's what I was hunting for—I was starving.

A limo driver was standing by the exit with a card that read Kiyomaro Takamine. I'm guessing that's my ride. I asked him to take me to a good restaurant before heading to the hotel. A Chinese take out meal was all I needed and pretty soon I was full of energy. I showered in my five-star hotel room and decided to explore the city.


	3. Chapter 3

I took a tour of the Tower of London and of Big Ben. That wasted most of the day and I was pooped by the time I hit my room. I called room service up, ordering a large pizza and Coke. That hit the spot. I must've fallen asleep since I can't remember much after eating. I was taking a shower when I realized that I had nothing to wear to tomorrow's ball. Today's mission was to find the right outfit.

Downtown was packed with people shopping. I looked around for formal shops and found some right away. Unfortunately, they only sold dresses and I was definitely not wearing one of those tomorrow. A couple blocks later I found a men's store. I window shopped at first, inspecting the merchandise from the outside. A tuxedo caught my eye and I wanted to try it on. It was on sale for 600 pounds. I did not have that much money to spend on clothes, so I went to search for another store.

It was 3 PM when I found a great tuxedo to rent at an even better price. I purchased it and dashed back to my hotel. I stashed it in the closet and crashed onto my bed. Something glittery was on my nightstand, reflecting the light of the lamp. Upon closer inspection, I found it was actually another invitation.

Kiyomaro Takamine;

Our apologies for this last minute detail. Lord Kory Bastian had decided to make the party a masked ball. Please wear a mask of any sort.

Time: 5 PM

Location: Hobark Castle

'_Man, this sucks._' I'd just bought a suit and now I had to get a mask. I still had time before most stores closed. I quickly entered the first costume store I found. Okay, so half the stuff in there was horrible. I didn't want to be Dracula or a monster man. A cape would be interesting, but I'd have no mask. There was a mask and a hat that came with a black cape lined in red.

I pictured myself wearing these with my tuxedo and whoa. I was one good-looking masked guy in a tuxedo. Well, my costume was complete and all I had to do was wait for the party. My mom called me after I had gone to sleep. The cell phone startled me, but I relaxed once I realized it was her. "Hello, Kiyo. How are you, honey?" she asked in her mother voice.

"I'm fine, Mom. How's your vacation?" I replied politely, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"It's great, son." There was some whispering in the background. "Kiyo, your father wants to talk to you." Some shuffling and whispers later, my dad greeted me.

"Kiyo, son, the day is coming up. How are you taking it?" His concern was evident, but I didn't feel much consolation.

"I know it's coming, but I'm…peachy. I'm actually in England right now," I paused. "I was invited to some sort of gathering by Kory."

"The little British kid that wanted to save his parents?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"That's great, Kiyo. Oh, you're mother's waiting. We're going to go scuba diving."

"Alright, Dad," I said, "I'll talk to you guys later." Oh, yeah, it was one in the afternoon for them.

"Goodbye, son." He hung up and I tossed the phone from hand to hand, deep in thought. I drifted off at about 11 PM. The morning came quickly, and I had the same dreamless sleep I was used to. I quickly scoffed down my breakfast, burning my tongue with my coffee in the process.

At noon I was out the door to find some shoes. How _that_ slipped my mind I don't know. A couple hours later I had everything I need, for sure. I hummed in the shower to keep myself distracted and waste more time.

It took me all of five minutes to get dressed, so I took everything off and made sure they were ironed and lint-free. I put on my hat and then my mask as the finishing touch. I could have passed as a superhero because I looked hot.

The black pants accentuated my height and the jacket hid covered most of my white button-up shirt. That was a pity because then people couldn't see my great physique. Anyway, my shoes were a slick midnight black. I'd be wearing a hat, so I didn't bother doing my hair any different from the usual—not that I ever did my hair. The cape tied around my neck and the red was noticeable against my dark suit. I slipped a blood red rose into my breast pocket, and it actually pulled the look together.

The anxiety of attending flooded me again. I knew I wouldn't recognize most of the people, but I had a good feeling about this party. Maybe, just maybe….nah, I'm just being optimistic. Well, better that than a pessimist, right?


	4. Chapter 4

It was 4:10 and it would take about thirty minutes to reach the castle from London. I spotted another invitation shoved under my door as I was going to leave. This one simply had a sentence:

Please bring the original invitation.

I went to my nightstand to grab all of the requests and stuffed them into my pants pocket. Right off the bat, I caught one of the more luxurious cabs. In reality, the trip was thirty-five minutes long. At five till five the place looked empty. I was positive this was the location and as I strolled inside, I saw nothing.

I continued down the familiar corridor until I reached the main hall. The adventure we had here filled my head. Kory, the little limey boy who wanted to rescue his parents by himself; me, looking for my dad with Zatch's help; Baltro, the boxing mamodo that we had to defeat. Those were good times.

From the room ahead of me I could hear voices, sounds, and music. Slowly, I pushed the doors open; the five o'clock bell echoed in the distance. I was greeted by a short guy in a waiter's uniform. He asked for my invitation and showed me to my seat. My table was on the outskirts, you could call it. The guy, his name was Rupert, informed me that I was the only one at that table that was here—for now.

Rupert also handed me a pamphlet that described the night's activities. Dinner would be served at six and Lord Kory Bastian would be presenting himself at that time, too. There would also be a couples' competition; it consisted of various activities, including dancing and the prize was 100,000 pounds.

Few people had arrived before me, and I considered going onto the dance floor. I reconsidered just as the thought crossed my mind. I didn't know how to dance! Instead, I busied myself trying to identify someone. One girl reminded me of Li-en, and a tall man looked like Apollo.

This must've been my mind playing tricks on me because there was no way either of them could be here. People started arriving by the handfuls and the place was packed in a matter of minutes. I went to the bathroom and when I returned there were some purses at my table.

There were good and bad news about that. The good news is that the ladies who owned them weren't there at the moment. Bad news was that they would be coming soon since it was almost time for dinner. Great—I hoped there were some other guys at my table.

Along with the purses, there was a note on the place I designated as mine. It was from the Lord. "_What a surprise_," I thought sarcastically. The instructions were simple enough:

Please do not reveal your real name until further notice. To all who ask for it, give another name.

Not a problem because I wouldn't give my real name to a stranger, anyway. Were the same directions given to everyone else, not just me? Who was it that kept delivering these papers when I wasn't around? All these inquiries and more troubled me. But now was not the time to think them over.

Someone headed toward me and I pretended I hadn't seen them. It was a woman. Her dress was a deep blue that emphasized her pale skin. From the waist down the dress expanded and the upper part of the dress clung to her slim torso. The woman's chocolate-colored hair was up in a flurry of curls. A glittery mask covered most of her face, but left exposed her deep brown eyes and full lips.

Okay, being a guy I have to acknowledge the fact that she was pretty. I glanced at her. Fine, pretty was an understatement; this girl was gorgeous. I tried to play it cool as she sat down and turned her gaze to me. Her smile was stunning and in that instant I had the notion that she was Megumi. Her next words crushed that dream. In a friendly tone she said to me, "Bonsoir, Monsieur."

French; talk about the farthest she could possibly be from Megumi. I didn't know what to say to that since I didn't speak French. In school I'd learned English and Japanese, not French. Instead of panicking, I answered in English, "Hello."

Her eyes widened. She seemed flustered. "Oh, pardon. My English is not that good. My name is Monique." She extended a gloved hand to me. I grasped it and was surprised at how strong her grip was.

"I'm"—the last note flashed through my mind—"Tadashi. Hiro Tadashi." Phew, that was close.

She cocked her head, eyes shining brightly. "Do you—"

"All guests please return to your seats. The dinner is about to start and the Lord will be entering shortly." The PA system shut off and Monique didn't finish asking me her question. She gave a sad smile before sashaying in the other direction.

"Monique!" I called. Why had she come to talk to me if her table wasn't this one? Other people started to sit down around me and I smiled politely. There were eight of us at the table. A blonde-haired guy took the seat next to me. He grinned at me as did the others at the table. Weird? Big time.

The stage in front of us lit up—the advantage of having a table on the edge—and a man strode out from behind the curtain. He was garbed in a dark blue tux with his light brown hair spiked. His mask was black and styled like Batman's. He smiled widely before addressing the guests with the microphone positioned in the middle of the stage. "Welcome all," he started in a deep voice, "to this ball I have arranged." There was no mistaking the British accent.

"This ball is way of thanking some of you and a way to get to know the rest of you." His eyes drifted across the crowd. "I am Lord Kory Bastian, the owner of Hobark castle."

This was rather surprising; Kory had become a Lord and took ownership of the castle in just four years.

"No party would be going on tonight if it hadn't been for a bloke I met years ago. If we want to be precise, nothing would be happening if it weren't for my Mum and Dad." Chuckles filled the room in response to that _joke_.

"No, seriously folks, I owe much of what I have this day to my friend Kiyo Takamine." Me? I got him all of this? I was flattered, but more confused that anything. "Unfortunately, he was not able to make it to tonight."


	5. Chapter 5

"I wish to commemorate a moment of silence to him." He continued. Everyone hushed and bowed their heads in my respect.

Wait a minute—I wasn't able to make it?! A moment of silence—was I dead? Now I wanted answers because even Rupert had addressed me by my name. He knew I was here, right? After this little speech, I was going to find Kory and set things straight.

"—for coming to tonight and I hope everyone has a great time. I'll be around to mingle soon." Kory waved cheerfully and disappeared behind from whence he came. That was my cue to sneak away and—

"Hey, I'm Zack. What's your name?" It was the friendly blonde-haired guy. He also wore a tux except he had on a grotesque monster mask.

"Hello, I'm Hiro," I answered. His age was a mystery to me, but he _sounded_ my age.

"It's a great party, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it is." I had to go find Kory, so I needed some sort of excuse. "Hey, Zack? I have to—"

"Look, Hiro! They're about to serve the dinner." Oh, crap. Looks like I wasn't getting out of there anytime soon.

The dinner consisted of fish (yellowtail, I think), steak, rice and a side of vegetables. They also served rolls. It made my stomach growl just looking at it. Of course, there had been appetizers on the table, but fish and chips didn't really appeal to me.

Zack ate like a beast, unlike me. I tried to have some manners. At seven, people were finished with dinner and anxious to get jiggy with it. Classical music was played by a live orchestra, but I didn't recognize any of the tunes.

I snuck away just like I planned at that time, once everyone, including Zack, had left the table. A part of me wanted to look for Monique—not that I listened to it. I peeked around the stage and found a door that lead to an empty hallway.

Looking both ways I entered and followed it to a door that had light streaming out through the bottom. I rested my ear against the door to see if I could catch any sounds. A man was talking—I don't know with whom— but the conversation was muffled.

I made out the words party, surprise, and here. They didn't make much sense to me, but I was sure that if I investigated I'd find some clues. The light shut off and footsteps shuffled in my direction. I quickly tucked myself into a small space around the corner of the door. Slowly, the footsteps advanced toward the door I'd come through.

Leaping out of my hidey-hole, I dragged the man back into the room. He tried to squirm away, but I kept a firm hold on him until my back was touching the closed door. In a swift motion, I opened it, shoved the guy inside, and slammed it shut behind us.

He flicked the lights on and I my suspicions were confirmed; it was Kory. He smiled at me as he sat down on a large couch on the opposite side of the large room. It was painted ivory and had many aspects of a living room. Paintings with intricate designs adorned every wall. An expensive-looking ceiling fan hummed above us, its light casting shadows across Kory's face.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hello, Kiyo," he greeted, amused.

"What's all this about, Kory?" I questioned him angrily.

He shrugged, and it irritated me even more. "Kiyo, I said that you hadn't come."

"I know that. Kory, I want some answers," I paused. "Why all the secrecy? Why announce that I hadn't come if you knew I had?" I wanted to yell at him, and then maybe scream at him a bit more.

"You're smart, Kiyo. I'm sure you could figure it out. I asked that you not give your name out to anyone. Why is that?" I just stared at him.

Kory glanced around the room, inhaling deeply. "I invited you here for a reason, but _that_ I'm not about to tell you. Yes, I'm the Lord and yes, I do owe all of it to you." I raised an eyebrow at him from my place beside the door.

"I know about the anniversary." I froze, my eyes widening. "Look, this party is like a way to relieve you of the pain that will surely come."

"What do you know, Kory?" I roared. "You have no idea what I will or will not go through! Why throw a huge party for me?"

"Kiyo, listen!" he yelled back.

"No, Kory! No," I whispered. "I'm leaving. There's no point in being here. I know you probably meant well, but I'm going." I turned my back on him and opened the door.

He grabbed my shoulder—he was now only inches shorter than me—and glared sternly at me. "Wait, I promise that if you stay it'll be worthwhile." His eyes were sincere and I knew I was wrong to have just screamed at him.

I took a breath. "I'm sorry, Kory." I really hated the idea, but Kory would probably hunt me down until I did what he wanted.

This was how I ended up sitting at my table, moping about agreeing to stay. People-watching kept me busy for about three minutes, and then I was bored again. It wasn't until I remembered Monique that I brightened.

Using all the skills I'd acquired throughout the years and my natural intelligence, I put together a plan to track her down. There were only a hundred or so people here, so I figured it an easy task. I started by stealing the list of tables from Rupert's pocket, when he was more drunk than sober. According to record, her table was near the entrance.

I wandered casually over there, and found no trace of her. Scanning the surrounding area, I caught a glimpse of her going outside. Her dress stood out and I trailed her—okay, I pretty much stalked her—until she was alone.

From what I saw, she was getting ready to leave. '_No way, if I have to stay, I might as well have some company._' Hastily, I sprinted after her in an attempt to stop her. I was a couple yards behind her when I hollered her name.

She turned and grinned at me, before strolling in my direction. "Hiro," she murmured, fixing her dark eyes on mine. "What are you—?"

I didn't let her finish the sentence. Something took hold of me—courage, bravery, or desire—and I couldn't fight. Actually, it was more like I didn't _want _to resist. I grabbed her in my arms and kissed her. It wasn't very long, only a minute tops, but it felt like an eternity.

I let go of her, gazing intently into her shocked eyes. A shy smile crept upon her lips, and my cheeks were on fire. "Don't go," I whispered, taking her hands in mine.

If her mask were off, she'd probably have been blushing as well. "Hiro, if I stay, will you enter the competition with me?" Her accent sent shivers down my spine.

"If you stay," I agreed, noticing for the first time that she wasn't much shorter than me. Her brilliant smile widened as she slipped her arm through mine and I led her back inside.

Zack was the sight that welcomed us. He was getting his groove-thing on and he was amazing. I wish I could dance like that. Monique snapped me out of my trance and tugged me to the booth where we had to register. It was about to close, but they needed one more couple. Guess who?

They gave me another brochure describing the various challenges we'd be participating in. there were thirty-two other couples registered, and six would be chosen to compete for the grand prize. The semifinalists were going to be the couples that accumulated the highest scores. Each judge scored the couple on a scale of 1-10.

The first trial was a dance and it began in half an hour. The good thing was that since we'd registered last, our turn was also last. Monique and I had three choices and it was up to us to decide which one we would dance. We chose to tango. It was that, salsa, or a weird dance that I hadn't even heard of. She taught me the basic steps and I was confident that I had it down. Unless, of course, something went horribly wrong like things tend to do.

We were given a diversified wardrobe from which to choose our outfits. Monique's blue dress didn't exactly match the tango image. She quickly changed into a red skirt that ended below her knees and black blouse. I just removed my cape and hat. I wasn't sure if we had to dress differently for every test.

Kory, not surprisingly, was one of the four judges. He nodded expectantly at us, and grinned when I rolled my eyes. Monique glanced at me, and I could feel her burning with questions. My arm tightened around her waist to reassure her—and myself—that we had some sort of chance to win.

Monique wanted to win with all her heart. She was as determined as Zatch was to become the Mamodo King. She wanted to donate the money to orphanages around the world. I guess it gave me a challenge and no way was I turning it down. I'd show Kory and his stupid riddles.

We stepped out into the blinding lights, and the judges were tense from all the previous competitors. The music started out slowly, and I pulled Monique closer to me. As the music sped up so did we. We easily glided around the dance floor, keeping time with the beat. At one point I dipped her, and her surprised eyes merely made me smirk. My hands never let her go and we received impressed glimpses from the panel of critics. We were both panting at the end, but swelled with pride when we received our score of thirty-five.

For our first score, it was great! We'd only missed five points, and from my point of view, our scores were only going to get better. Other couples glared enviously at us, but some smiled and that put me at ease. While we waited for the next test to begin, which was a scavenger hunt, all the couples were squeezed into one room.

According to Kory, we had to get to know two other couples to be allowed to participate in the next round. We were handed a sheet to fill out and if you tried faking the information, you were disqualified. Monique was certain that it would be easy and I agreed. How hard could it be to ask four people for their names?

This task proved to be, well, challenging. We'd walk up to someone, and they'd blow us off. We had fifteen minutes left when someone finally gave us some of their time. They were friendly and named Leah and William—or so they said.

Five minutes till deadline and we were desperate. I spotted familiar blonde hair and ran to it. Zack had also entered and he smiled when we approached. "Hiro, how are you?"

"Uh, Zack, could we have you fill out the back side of this?" I shoved the paper into his hands before he could answer.

"Sure, I'm Zack and this is my partner Telleo." He gestured to the girl beside him. She nodded at us and I introduced ourselves.

"Pleasure to meet you," Telleo cheerfully responded. Monique stared curiously at her as if wanting to say something more, but Kory entered the room. He surveyed those gathered and seemed to think something over.

"Everyone, I am disappointed to say that half of you disobeyed me." A gasp filled the room and nervous glances were exchanged among the contestants. One by one he pointed to those whom he'd kicked out. Sullenly, sixteen pairs exited the room and, as said by Kory, they were escorted out by security.

"As for the rest of you," his eyes floated across us and settled on me. "Congratulations on passing your second challenge."

"Wait, are you telling us that we already passed the second one?" asked a girl behind me.

"That is correct. All of you have been awarded a score of forty for this test," he announced smugly. '_I freaking knew it_.'


	7. Chapter 7

"The next test will definitely be the scavenger hunt. You have five minutes to prepare." Kory left, but not before winking at me. Monique cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Is he what one would call gay?" I gazed at her, fighting to keep the smile off my face. In a matter of seconds, I was literally busting a gut. She glared at me and I calmed down answering with the ever-apparent grin, "I'm not sure about him, but I can tell you for sure that I'm not."

Zack, who had been standing beside me, jumped up happily. He tells me that their score for the dance had been thirty-three. "I'm great at scavenger hunts. Isn't that right, Telleo?"

"I wouldn't know," she replied angrily, jabbing him in the ribs with her elbow.

"What was that for?" he asked, hurt emotionally and physically. I sensed a feud igniting and turned away from them because someone had tapped me on the shoulder. The man behind me was also blonde-haired, but his was lighter than Zack, and he wore a Chinese dragon mask.

"Hello, I'm Andrew. This is my partner Sarah and you are?" I quickly looked him over and decided that he seemed friendly. The girl next to him had long golden locks, and her blue-eyed gaze was steely under her theatre mask.

"I'm Hiro and this is Monique." She smiled warmly and soon we were enveloped in an intense conversation. For awhile, I felt like I'd known these people for much longer than three minutes. That lasted until I heard that the challenge was about to begin. We bid them farewell and received our list from Rupert.

We had to travel through the castle, snapping a picture of each item on the list. The floor and room of each article were also on the paper; all we had to do was find the object and photograph it. The task seemed easy, but I've learned never to assume that. The order the teams finished in would be the order they'd be scored. The first placers would receive a forty and the rest would have scores decreasing from there.

We decided to start at the top floor so we wouldn't have to run around everywhere going down the list. First up was a painting by the name of _The Washwoman_. Unfortunately, we knew it was on the fourth floor, but we had no map—we had no clue as to where the _Sitting Room_ was. There were no elevators installed so the four flights of stairs turned out to be quite a workout.

In the first room we found a vase that was on the list. It was encased in thick glass and as an extra barrier it had motion detectors installed around it. Kory's place was seriously like a museum. Most of the items on the paper had DO NOT TOUCH signs surrounding them. I was also half suspecting there to be cameras from which he could watch our every move.

We'd gone through most of the rooms on the fourth floor when we found the washing woman. As we checked her off the list, I noticed that the room looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in years. I figured that if Kory was going to have people in here, it should at least be dust-free. A sparkle in the corner of this grimy room caught my eye. Upon closer examination I realized it was a picture of a little boy.

He had large, spiked, brown hair and he smiled as if he were keeping a secret. Behind him stood his parents and the castle loomed in the distance. '_Kory as a kid_,' I thought. Sure enough, the bottom left hand corner read the words _Bastian family: Kory (7 years old), Jane and Robert_. A smile formed on my lips, and Monique joined me smiling, too.

The rest of the scavenger hunt went by uneventfully. We found the objects rather easily, but the last one (the first one on the list) proved to be the most difficult. It a sculpture of name _Kid_ and it was supposed to be on the second floor. Other couples were also on this floor and they seemed as perplexed as us. One of them was Zack; we just ran into him all the time, huh?

He and Telleo couldn't find the _Kid_ either. He waved us over, but Monique held me back. "Are you sure we should be associating with him now?"

"It'll be fine," I said, waving at Zack to come over to us. He happily obliged, dragging Telleo behind him. Monique looked nervously at me.

"Hey, did you guys find that sculpture?" Telleo asked grinning at me, but not losing the determined look in her eyes.

I shook my head. "No, we're having trouble finding it as well."

"Then about we help each other out, Hiro?" suggested Zack, in his usual gracious manner. He reminded me of someone, but who it was eluded me. I agreed and we switched partners. I thought that if we looked again with different people, we'd have a better chance of finding it. Zack instantly approved and hauled Monique to their share of rooms. I was stuck with Telleo.

Her dress stopped at the knees and was a light pink. Telleo's hair was fashioned into an intricate bun with wisps of hair loose here and there. Her mask resembled a butterfly, and greatly contrasted Zack's monster disguise.

It wasn't hard for her to keep up with my brisk stride. She smiled and asked me questions on whatever was on her mind. As we searched one room, she asked me about my family. "It's just my parents and me," I answered, not really thinking much of it.

"Oh, you're an only child?" Her voice rose on the last word. "Don't you have a family of your own?"

I laughed. "You sound like you're surprised. And no, I'm not married if that's what you're implying." I paused before adding with a smile, "I'm only eighteen."

I saw her beam out of the corner of my eye. "So have you finished school yet?" A red flag rose all of a sudden, as if she was fishing for information. Disregarding my suspicion, I answered truthfully.

"No, I'm graduating high school next month. How about you?" I threw the question back and caught her off guard.

"I-um, me too!" I nodded, smirking inside. "Is this it?" Telleo pointed to a cracked statue on top of the fireplace.

"I don't think so," I responded, knowing it was an attempt to distract me. What was it with her? She wanted to me to tell her something specific, but what?

"Do you like your partner much? Monique, was it?" She gazed seriously at me— she really meant the question. It wasn't just a playful thought. I stopped rummaging around and sat on the couch by the window. Telleo mimicked me and took a seat beside me.

"Sure, she's great. I had a friend like her once—"

"And you had a crush on her?" Telleo interrupted. I turned away from her. "What happened to her?" She sounded concerned, but it hurt me to think that I'd kissed this girl when I supposedly loved Megumi.

"Nothing, she's absolutely fine. In fact, she's on tour right now." I replied without emotion, staring out the window.

"Oh, a pop star—I was best friends with one, but I haven't seen her since last year. Your friend Monique reminds me of her. That's the only reason I asked."

"What was her name?" I wanted to know.

"Hey, look, I think I really found it this time." I glanced at what she was staring at and saw that indeed, the _Kid_ occupied a pedestal high above the door.

"Hmmm."


	8. Chapter 8

_Italicized is one female singing_

_**Bold italics is one male singing**_

Regular words are both singing at the same time

**The songs belong to the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Fall out Boy…not me!**

Zack and Telleo dashed ahead, trying to pull a win over a track star. I'll admit, Zack is fast, but I'm faster. Soon the girls decided to stop running and walked in our dust since only one partner had to be present to be scored. I rounded a corner too fast and slipped, falling a few steps behind Zack. He didn't look back, but soon he was watching my back.

Zack pushed himself into overdrive and caught up with me. We both slammed against the final door, thrusting it open. The judges' booth was to my right, and Zack was at my left. Hitting my maximum speed I dash tore through the 'finish line_'_ inches before my opponent.

Kory clapped smugly, and I glowered at him. My score wasn't a forty because Andrew and Sarah had arrived before us. I received a thirty-seven point five and Zack obtained a thirty-five. Zack was a great sport and wanted to know how I became such a quick sprinter. "I'm the captain of the men's track team at my school."

"Really? I wouldn't figure you to be into that stuff." He commented.

"A couple years ago I probably wouldn't have, but now it's different." I explained, thinking back to Zatch.

"It's great for you to be involved in school activities, Hiro." At that moment, the girls showed up and I filled Monique in on the happenings. Although I would have rather stayed and chatted with Zack, the next trial was about to begin.

Karaoke: singing to music when you barely know the words and embarrassing yourself in front of those watching. Monique and I had to sing—any song, we weren't given a certain song—but I'd never sung in front of people. Or just sang, for that matter. To make things worse, this time the judges wouldn't be doing the judging. The other people who had attended the ball were going to be the audience and give us a score.

The order of performance was chosen randomly and out of sheer luck (bad luck) we were second. We had to change clothes for this one too, so I changed into jeans and left the shirt under my coat on. Monique wore a long black skirt and a white T-shirt. A dozen songs flashed through my head and I gave Monique my list. She picked one out and we quickly skimmed over the lyrics on the internet. Once we had decided our parts and memorized them, we went on stage.

A live band had been hired to play tonight. They weren't the orchestra, but they were supposed to be extremely talented. I gave them the song name and they nodded as if they played it everyday. I got into position and Monique beamed at me; she was confident in her abilities.

"Okay, everyone, this is _Cat and Mouse_," I announced just before the piano played quietly. "_**Softly we tremble tonight**_," I started.

"_Picture perfect fading smiles are all that's left in sight_," Monique continued, her accent disguised so well I couldn't even notice it.

"_**I said I'll never leave, you'll never change. I'm not satisfied with where I'm at in life**_**. **_**Am I supposed to be happy with all I ever wanted? It comes with a price**__._"

"_Am I supposed to be happy with all I ever wanted? It comes with a price. You said…you said that you would die for me._"

"_**We made plans to grow old. Believe me there was truth in all those stories that I told**__._"

"_Lost in our simple game cat and mouse. Are we the same? People ask before this came to light. Am I supposed to be happy with all I ever wanted? It comes with a price._"

"_**Am I supposed to be happy with all I ever wanted? It comes with a price. You said…you said that you would die for me. You must live for me, too**__._"

"_For me, too…_" Monique echoed delicately. "_You said that you would die for me._"

We joined our voices to sing the next part. "Am I supposed to be happy with all I ever wanted? It comes with a price. Am I supposed to be happy with all I ever wanted? It comes with a price. You said…you said that you would die for me."

"_You said that you would die for me._"

"_**You said that you would die for me**_."

"_You said that you would die for me….oh_."

The song ended and we stood there staring at one another. Our audience exploded into hysterical applause; we bowed and exited receiving a perfect score. I threw my arms around Monique and squeezed her roughly. She giggled, but frowned when I mentioned her camouflaged accent. With a shaky laugh she brushed my inquiries away.

Some of the contestants after us were booed off the stage. Those unfortunate souls were immediately disqualified and ushered out of the castle. One guy removed his shirt when he sang _I'm too sexy for my shirt_. Of course, the women went crazy for him and his fab abs, but he too was barred. I'm guessing you couldn't strip for your song.

Zack and Telleo's turn was sixth. Telleo replaced her girly dress with jeans and a black shirt. Zack chose the gothic look—all black. They sang _Chicago Is So Two Years Ago._

"_My heart is on my sleeve. Wear it like a bruise or black eye. My badge, my witness_," Telleo began.

"…_**Means that I believed every single lie you said. Because every pain of glass that your pebbles tap negates the pains I went through to avoid you. And every little pat on the shoulder for attention fails to mention I still hate you**__._"

"_But there's a light on in Chicago and I know I should be home. All the colors of the street signs, they remind of the pickup truck out in front of you neighbor's house._"

"_**She took me down and said, 'Boys like you are overrated, so save your breath.' Loaded words and loaded friends are loaded guns to our heads**__._"

"…_Cause__every pain of glass that your pebbles tap negates the pains I went through to avoid you. And every little pat on the shoulder for attention fails to mention I still hate you._"

"_**But there's a light on in Chicago and I know I should be home. All the colors of the street signs, they remind of the pickup truck out in front of you neighbor's house**__._"

"_You want apologies._"

"_**Girl you might hold your breath until your breathing stops forever, forever**__._"

"The only thing you'll get is this curse on your lips: I hope they taste of me forever. And there's a light on in Chicago and I know I should be home. All the colors of the street signs, they remind of the pickup truck out in front of you neighbor's. With every breath I wish your body will be broken again, again." Telleo and Zack sang the last part together—Zack pretended to die in the end and Telleo fell to her knees, her head bowed.

A flawless performance deserved an equal score. They left with triumphant smiles and I wondered how those two managed that feat with such an emo song. The next few couples were okay, but they couldn't compete with Andrew and Sarah. Their turn was thirteenth and they chose _Bang the Doldrums_.

"_**I wrote a goodbye note in lipstick on your arm when you passed out. I couldn't bring my self to call, except to call it quits.**_"

"Best friends, ex-friends to the end. Better off as lovers and not the other way around...Racing through the city, windows down in the back of yellow checkered cars."

"_This city says come hell or high water. Well I'm feeling hot and wet. I can't commit to a thing be it heart or hospital._"

"Best friends, ex-friends to the end. Better off as lovers and not the other way around….Racing through the city, windows down in the back of yellow checkered cars."

"_The tombstones were waiting. They were half engraved. They knew it was over, just didn't know the day._"

"_**And I cast a spell over the west to make you think of me the same way I think of you. This is a love song in my own way: Happily ever after below the waist. Best friends, ex-friends to the end. Better off as lovers….Racing through the city, windows down in the back of yellow checkered cars**__._"

"_Best friends, ex-friends to the end. Better off as lovers and not the other way around. Ex-friends to the end, better off as lovers._"

The spectators hooted and whistled—they showed a great deal more admiration for them than any other pair that had been out there. I bet that if it was possible to get a score higher than forty, they would have gotten it. The last ones to go on stage were Leah and William with the song _Your_ _Guardian Angel_.

"_**When I see your smile, tears run down my face.**_"

"_I can't replace,_" Leah chanted.

"_**And now that I'm strong I have figured out how this world turns cold. It breaks through my soul and I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one.**_"

"_I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all even if saving you sends me to heaven. It's okay…it's okay…it's okay._"

"Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling over us. Days grow longer and nights grow shorter. I can show you I'll be the one."

"_**I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all even if saving you sends me to heaven.**_"

"_Cause_ _you're my… you're my…my…my true love, my whole heart. Please don't throw that away. Cause I'm here…here for you. Please don't walk away and please tell me you'll stay..._"

"_**Use me as you will. Put my strings just for a thrill. And I know I'll be okay, though my skies are turning gray.**_"

"I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all even if saving you sends me to heaven. I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all even if saving you sends me to heaven."

As the music faded away, the two singers closed the small amount of space left between them. The kiss drew a collective _Aww_ from the audience and the two lovers departed backstage through a set of curtains. The audience gave a standing ovation for all the teams and Kory was the one to break the news to those eliminated. The final six were the following teams: Monique and I; Zack and Telleo; Andrew and Sarah; William and Leah; Sean and Lacy; Peter Forotini and Cecilia.


	9. Chapter 9

The last two couples I hadn't talked to. Familiar as they seemed, they hadn't addressed me at any point and I hadn't said a word to them. I wanted to approach them and fish for any exploitable weaknesses, but Kory had other things in mind. He kept us all in the room where we'd had to fill out that paper on other teams. Although it wasn't prohibited to talk, no one dared speak.

Monique seemed tense as time dragged on; it didn't worry me much because she had acted similarly toward Zack. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw him peeking nervously at me. This had an effect—Zack was normally happy and carefree, but if something made even him edgy, something was wrong. And indeed there was if thirty minutes had passed and Kory didn't show.

Just as I was about to announce my growing suspicion, the shouts began. I glanced sharply at Monique prior to making a mad dash to the only door—locked. There were no visible windows, and the sparse furniture gave me no ideas. I turned to appraise everyone else. Zack was the first to speak.

"What's going on?" His apprehension was more evident than before. The others exchanged looks of doubt and then Andrew shook his head.

"Hiro, I sense that you share the horrible feeling I have about this whole affair. If anything, the screams are just further evidence of it." He paused and searched our faces. "We have to escape and find out what Kory Bastian doesn't want us to know."

I nodded. "I'm with you Andrew, but we still have the slight problem of our confinement."

"Hmm, that is quite a predicament. I suggest we—" A beam of some sort blasted through the room, shattering the door. "That's convenient. Is everyone ready?"

I had assumed that all the girls would want to stay, but they agreed except the girl Cecilia. "Don't worry, my darling. You can stay here while I and the rest of them go fight," assured Peter Forotini. This was the first time I'd heard him talk and I detected an Italian accent.

With Andrew leading we raced out, following the scorch marks left behind by the ray. They guided us back into the main room, but this time something was off. The lights were dimmed and all the tables had been cleared out. Kory stood on stage, staring malevolently at us with a khaki-colored backpack slung over his shoulder.

I stepped forward, addressing him with my anger barely under control. "What is going on here, Kory? It's time you finally explained yourself." The others crowded next to me, sending scowls his way.

Kory paced the stage, chuckling to himself. "Hiro, Hiro, Hiro. Why don't you take off your mask and show them who you really are?"

"You're right. What's the point of this thing?" I tossed my cape and hat in a random direction, and then slowly, I removed my mask. I held it for a moment—I wasn't being sentimental. I just wasn't sure what to do with it. I decided to add it to my pile of discarded items.

"Now, Kiyo, you have nothing to hide behind."

"Why would I want to hide? And more importantly, what's happened to you, Kory? Years ago you weren't like this. Was it the wealth?" I laughed bitterly at this. "Or did you honestly forget how to be human?"

"Look at yourself. You're criticizing me when you know damn well I'm doing you a favor. I have changed, but for the better. And do you know who helped me? I do believe you two have met—" he smiled vengefully—"when Zatch was still here."

I kept my mouth shut, not breaking eye contact. This person wasn't Kory. His body may have been the same, but his mind wasn't. It was as if someone had manipulated his pure heart and morphed it into that of a psychopath.

"Alright, enlighten me. Who changed you?"

"Do you recognize this?" He opened the pack and pulled out a rectangular object. Under the bleak light I could barely make him out, and he wanted me to identify whatever he was holding.

I ventured closer to the stage with the others close on my heels. I squinted, hoping to make out the item. Some markings caught the light, stopping me in my tracks. They _were_ familiar; a year ago was the last time I'd seen those characters. "Kory," I whispered trying to put together a logical explanation. "Whose book is that?"

"You're not really wondering that, are you? What you want to know is where I got it. Am I right?"

I nodded dumbly. "Well, if you insist. The mamodo are back and the one that brought me this book wants revenge. Come on out, my partner." The brick-red curtain parted and a small figure gracefully walked—almost floated— out to his side.

"Nice to see you again," Zofis greeted.


	10. Chapter 10

_Okay, it's been a while since there have been any author notes so I felt the need to input on this chapter. I've really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope all of you enjoy reading it._

_Thanks to all of those that reviewed, too._

_The Big Reveal is here…_

Chapter 10

My head spun. This was too much to absorb at once. The mamodo had returned, and they were apparently the same ones from last time. Zofis had manipulated Kory's heart and was now controlling him. What happened to Zofis's last book holder, Koko? Why did Zofis desire his revenge here when he could have dealt with Zatch in the mamodo world?

"You and Zatch will pay, Kiyo. I had the crown locked up until you and you meddling friends interfered."

I cleared some of the less important thoughts away before answering, "What will you achieve with revenge?"

"I will gain nothing, but I wish to see you in pain. I'll destroy you with your precious mamodo and girlfriend at your side."

"What are you talking about? Zatch isn't here," I replied through clenched teeth.

"And I say he is. For someone who has a reputation of being a genius, it's taking you a while to figure it out."

The similarities were there, and I hadn't noticed: the kindness, the hair, and the way he ran. All this compelled me to ask, "Zack, who are you really?"

Gazing intently at me, he said, "I missed you, Kiyo." Then Zack or actually, Zatch took off his hideous mask. I studied him, half-expecting to find the same old Zatch, but he changed as well. He wasn't a puny little kid anymore; now, Zatch was older and with that came a growth spurt. He still had that childish look in his golden eyes and his hair was the same, but he gave off an air of royalty or something close to that.

The words caught in my throat—Zatch noticed and ran over to hug me. I returned it and he handed me his book. The red book, the one I'd protected with my life was now in my hands again. I looked to Monique, seeing through her masquerade.

She sang well, like Megumi. "Kiyo," she began, while removing her own sparkling mask. "And Zatch, haven't seen you in a while."

"It's good to see you again, Megumi." I said, fully assessing her beauty. I felt my cheeks flush just by looking at her.

"Wow, Megumi. You sure are pretty." Zatch commented. A conversation would have been nice, but now was not the time. One by one the others revealed themselves and I was hardly surprised. After all I'd seen today, I really didn't doubt anything was possible. Telleo—Zatch's partner—was Tia and she was ecstatic to see Megumi again. Oh and me, by the way.

Lacy revealed herself to be Lori, a sweet mamodo girl's book holder. Sunbeam had been disguised as Sean and I high-fived him when he removed his mask. Peter Forotini was none other than Parco Folgore, the Italian superstar. Leah bowed in front of me as did William in front of Zatch. "My King, I'll lay my life on the line for you and your partner, Kiyo." Wonrei promised; Li-en nodded courageously. Andrew became Apollo, and he gestured toward Sherry, previously known as Sarah. For a second, her eyes seemed kinder than usual, but then the natural hardness returned.

I grinned at everyone, not hiding my enthusiasm. Zofis snickered darkly behind us. "What a quaint reunion." Instantly, my expression changed into one of angry discontent. That's right; there was still the matter of Zofis threatening to kill us all. "Ah, but only three of you have your mamodo. What of the other five? Oh, that's right. They're right here."

Zofis snapped his fingers and the curtains drew back. Locked up inside a large cage stood the missing mamodo: Kanchome, Rops, Brago, Ponygon, and Kolulu. They were unconscious and older, too. Another snap and the floor ahead of us divided. Out of the darkness rose another cage, but this time fancily dressed people were in it. "_The partygoers_," I thought; they were Zofis's hostages and we were the ransom.

Being a bad guy, Zofis liked talking about his plan and how we ruined his life. This gave me time to create an idea. Option one: we run like crazy out of the castle and hope to escape. Then maybe we can catch a taxi to London. Option two: we pretend to be defeated and then one Zofis is distracted we hit him from behind. Then run.

Then I thought of something else: the prisoners. Shoot. I had forgotten about them. Okay, option three: we fight Zofis and release the other mamodo. With everyone out, we can evacuate the captives and finish Zofis off. Yeah, I liked this plan better. "Everyone, we've got to get them out," I whispered.

I motioned for them to come and we huddled together as I told them my brilliant idea. "Alright, Kiyo! I knew you'd want to save them," Zatch commended.

"And what are the rest of us supposed to do while you guys play hero?" Sherry asked, staring hard at me.

"You guys just have to lay low until we manage to free Brago and the rest." I told her.

"Don't worry, Kiyo. We'll try to get to them and from there it's up to one of you to blast them out," Apollo assured. Wonrei and Li-en volunteered to do the blasting.

I nodded, before inspecting my troops. Megumi and Tia looked pumped and ready, as did Li-en and her partner. Suddenly, Zofis launched an attack in between the two parties. Wonrei ran ahead, leading them toward the caged mamodo. I glanced at Megumi to see if she was hurt. Zatch had pushed her out of the way, and Tia was next to me. "Are you alright, Kiyo?" she asked, heading to her book holder.

"I'm fine, but what about Megumi?" I responded, following.

"Zatch!" she shouted. He looked up, slightly dazed, but quickly recovered with a, "I'm okay, Tia, and so is Megumi." Said girl picked up her book and thanked Zatch, before addressing her mamodo.

"Well, Tia, are you ready for a battle?"

"I sure am." Zofis attacked again with something quicker and stronger. "Megumi, now!"

Her book glowed and her confidence was conspicuous. "Seoshi!" The familiar clear dome enveloped us, and we were protected from the assault. I grinned at my date; she winked at me. The blush came back, and I tried to focus on the battle. A ray exploded somewhere in the background. The dome flickered, then disappeared.

I pointed two fingers at Zofis and opened the red book. "Zaker!" Zatch faced the appointed direction and lightning shot out of his mouth. The speed at which he attacked was amazing and way faster than before. He beamed excitedly at me when I mentioned it.

"I've been training and so has Tia," he replied. "Did you notice how her Seoshi didn't break like it did when she blocked strong attacks?" Tia heard this and immediately gave Zatch a good strangling.

"Looks like Tia still didn't learned how to control her anger," Megumi pointed out. I nodded, but looked away before she could see the blush on my face. Zofis, however, took the opportunity to attack. The spark was too close to dodge and I didn't have enough time to use Rashield. Closer it came—we're not going to make—

Seconds later we were still alive. In front of us was a large blue ball of…something. More surprising still was that Brago was the one using it! He'd really disliked Zatch and me, but now he'd saved us. "Thank—"

"You do not need to thank us. It was merely to protect the King," Brago responded tartly before I could finish. "But it is good to see an old rival again," he added.

"Rops go, my friend!" Apollo called as his mamodo released a barrage of boulders. Zofis easily evaded almost all of them, except one. It struck him on the shoulder, but he gave no signs of feeling pain.

"Wonrei, Go Boren!" Another direct hit! We were on a roll. Now it was Folgore's turn.

"Kanchome, distract that bad person! Dikaporuk!" This is when Sunbeam cast one of Ponygon's more powerful spells. Bull's-eye! The bad news was that Zofis laughed. It was like hearing someone scratching their nails across a chalkboard—yeah, it was _that_ bad. And also, it's never good when the bad guy laughs. It usually means something worse is about to happen.

_Cliffhanger…sorry about that. I'm kind of stuck now. But no need to fear, new material will appear soon. Anyway, please continue to review. It really encourages me!_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Man, it has been such a lone time since I last updated that it took me awhile to actually remember what the story was about. Silly me. Well, I hope that those of you who follow this story aren't disappointed with this chapter. **_

_**Disclaimer: Cocoacharm15 doesn't own any of the characters or ideas that Makoto Raiku thought of all by himself. **_

* * *

Chapter 11

And I realized what it was.

During this time Zofis hadn't actually tried to hit us. It was more like he was toying with us; otherwise, he would have launched a stronger attack or attempted to immobilize us somehow. Those minor irritations were only to distract us from the actual aim. Kolulu was the target. She and Lori didn't enjoy fighting, and it was obvious they weren't planning on attacking (or defending, for that matter). I looked to Zatch; he seemed to be debating about whether to protect Kolulu or stay by Tia's side and fight. It wasn't until she yelled at him that she could defend herself that he motioned for me to follow him.

We raced to the back of the room. I knew Zatch had had a small crush on Kolulu before, but I wasn't sure if he'd gotten over it. Tia seemed pretty important to him, but… I pushed such thoughts away as we reached Kolulu. Lori stood in front of her clutching the spell book. They had a few scratches, but other than that, they seemed fine. "Kiyo, we're not going to fight," she said, wide-eyed.

"Alright, but you two have to get out of here!" I yelled, willing her to move.

Kolulu face lit up when she saw Zatch. "Zatch, I'm so glad you're here." Zatch nodded, but his eyes and thoughts were focused elsewhere.

"We have to protect them!" I shouted at him as another bolt sped toward us. "Rashield!" The white defense blocked the shockwaves and sent them back with a jolt—literally. Lori and Kolulu smiled gratefully at us.

"You guys have to go defeat Zofis. Thank you, but we can take a few hits. Go to the source instead of wasting your energy guarding us." Lori ordered. I shook my head and said that she shouldn't expect that to happen.

"Kiyo, let's go." Zatch said. "We are needed more over there—fighting."

"What about them?" I asked, confused. "You yourself said we must protect those who are involved in this." I doubted Zatch would contradict his own statement without a good reason. Still, I was skeptical about why his ideas had changed.

"Kiyo, I _do_ want to protect them, but we won't get anything accomplished by standing here." His gaze drifted constantly to where Megumi and Tia had last been. "I won't let anything happen to her." I caught him saying under his breath.

"He's right. She needs you more than us." Kolulu added softly. With his statement in mind, I wished Lori luck—and persuaded them to escape—then headed into the inferno that the current battle had transformed into.

Attacks were flying left and right. Kory was doing a pretty good job for his first battle, but that wasn't good for our side. Wonrei had suffered a mild injury to his left arm and Brago had scrapes and bruises covering most of his body. Then I thought of the girls. A quick scan of the room showed no signs of Megumi or Tia. Zatch suddenly pulled me out of the way of a rogue blast. It was time for a strategy. I formed a crude plan in my head, but for it to work I had to get close to Zofis.

That was going to be the hard part. With all the reciprocated hits and defenses, I would be glad if we got there alive! I began by skirting around the battle, and my search led me to an upturned table. '_That's as good a place as any to hide for the moment_.' As I was about to crawl behind it and make myself a smaller target, Zofis aimed for the space in front of me. I leaped toward the table and was surprised when the next detonation was blocked.

"Ma Seshield!" The command clearly came from behind the table. It phased the opposite mamodo momentarily, but that gave me the chance to launch a lightning attack.

"Zakeruga!" The bolt cut a path through the medley of offenses and struck Zofis in the chest. I waited for a scream of pain or something of the sort. Nothing—well, crap. So much for my brilliant attack.

"Zatch, Kiyo!" It was Tia. She looked a little worn out, too. Her bun had fallen out, her pink hair now danced freely. Megumi wasn't looking all that bad, but the battle was starting to take its toll. The rest of the mamodo were taking a beating and keeping us separated kept us weak. If we could come together, then we might possibly be able to cause some damage.

"Megumi, Tia! We have to round everyone up. If we keep fighting like this we'll gradually weaken and the battle will be Zofis's."

Zatch's brow knit together as if he were thinking hard about something. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but immediately shut it again.

"What is it, Zatch? Do you have a plan?" I asked him, desperately wishing for him to say yes. I looked to the battle. Our teammates were split into pairs of two scattered throughout the room, and we seemed to be the only ones who had been able to group together.

"Well, what if we create a distraction. Then someone can aim toward the roof and have the whole thing come down." He stated, feeling prideful of such a brilliant idea.

"That's a great idea and by that I mean, that's horrible, Zatch!" Tia responded angrily. "How are we going to stop the castle from buying us along with Zofis?"

He frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. I guess we need a new plan."

"Well, it better be fast because the others won't hold out for long," hastened Megumi.

Again I examined the battlefield, taking in every possible detail of the scene. The curtains on the stage were torn and coming down. One of the corners of the stage was catching fire, and it wouldn't be long before the entire thing was consumed. With the curtains in tatters, the water pipes attached to the brick wall were visible. One was even leaking and a puddle had formed behind Zofis and Cory.

Water.

"I've got it!" I cried, quickly planning out the rest of my idea. The three looked at me expectantly.

"Tia, Megumi, you have to get the word to everyone to attack the pipes behind those guys. Stop them from directing their attacks at them. Make the water pipes explode."

"But what'll that do?" Tia asked, looking confused.

"The water will conduct electricity, and that way one of Zatch's moves will do more damage." Megumi explained.

"Exactly, and he'll think we're trying to put out that fire." I pointed at the all consuming flame that had traveled up the curtains by now. "But we have to hurry!"

"Right!" They moved out toward the others, dodging the random attacks flying through the air.

"Ready, Zatch?" I locked eyes with my faithful mamodo. His golden orbs were filled with determination and anger, and he nodded fiercely. "Good. Our job is to get close enough to land an attack and try to take the book."

"I'm with you, Kiyo! All the way!"

I braced myself and held Zatch's spell book tightly, walking out from behind our shelter and into the open. Zatch was right beside me.

I immediately noticed that the attacks weren't flying back anymore. Zofis wasn't deflecting them because they weren't headed toward him anymore. I used this pause in action to run forward, adding a couple Zaker's to the other assaults on the ducts. Zofis and Kory were confused, and didn't notice us charging ahead.

"Is you aim really that terrible?" Kory asked menacingly, keeping an eye on the team closest to him—Wonrei and Li-en.

"Actually, I believe they are trying to extinguish that fire," replied Zofis, cackling as if he'd made a joke. "Foolish mamodo and human alike! Go ahead and put out that fire! What good will it do you? It'll make our job of eliminating you easier."

"You are the fool! Do you honestly think we're going to forget about you?" Brago challenged, leaping up and attacking with a massive ball of gravitational energy.

What were they doing? It wasn't part of the plan for them to get up close and personal with Zofis. They'd be in the middle of the blast once I used an attack. Brago jumped again, crossing the distance between them instantly and evading the returned explosion with Sherry close by. We were a ways behind them still.

Besides Brago and Sherry ignoring orders, everything else seemed to be going according to plan. Most of the pipes had detonated and splashed their contents onto the backs of our opponents. Pools of water slowly became rivers that led off the edge of the stage like a waterfall.

Finally, we made it up to the stage, but Zofis couldn't pay attention to us as they were busy fighting off Brago's continued onslaught of blows. There was one more pipe above our heads, a fairly large one at that. The rest had burst, but there still wasn't enough water. Good thing the fire kept burning.

"Zatch!" I pointed two fingers straight up and he aimed. "Zaker!" It was just enough to blow up the pipe and keep the ceiling from collapsing on us. Water poured down, soaking the six of us. The fire was quenched, but those four were still going at it.

"Ha! So little Zatch managed to put out the fire. Great job because we are through with Brago and Sherry!" Zofis yelled, sending a colossal attack toward them.

"Kiyo, Rashield!" Zatch ordered. I nodded. Everyone who could throw up a shield did so, protecting the two intended targets from the hit.

"Why you!" Kory bellowed. I saw Brago throw a glance at Zatch.

"Kiyo, it's now or never! We have to use Bao Zakerga!" he looked fleetingly around himself, presumably worried for Tia, but then he focused on the task at hand.

"All right! Here it goes! Bao Zakerga!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Zatch's eyes glowed, and the energy from the whole battle began to accumulate in this final attack.

"This won't end like this!" Kory attempted to read another spell, but Wonrei—quickly taking advantage of his proximity and their halt in attacks—jumped forward as the huge dragon formed and grabbed the drenched book, tossing it in the air.

The immense golden dragon ripped through the air, rapidly gaining ground before engulfing the book as well as Kory and Zofis who had scrambled to reach it.

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Thanks for reading and remember to review if you liked it as well as if you didn't like it. Either way I appreciate it!

_**Cocoacharm15**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Okay, devoted readers, sorry for the wait, but here is the next chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: Zatch Bell is the property of Makoto Raiku.**_

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Chapter 12

The unleashed energy charged the air around us. The noise and chaos of the battle stopped suddenly and silence reigned for a fleeting moment. I looked around me, trying to stay on my feet. Bao Zakeruga always took a lot out of me. My chest heaved with the excruciating effort of breathing. I leaned against Zatch, managing to look around at our allies. Everyone seemed to be barely standing, except maybe Brago. All those on our side were bleeding, bruised, and looked like the lucky few that managed to survive in a combat movie. I felt Zatch lean against me until we were both holding each other up.

The entire castle was wrecked. Bao Zakeruga had literally disintegrated the roof, and now the moonless night occupied the space above us. The walls enclosing the room were gone, and ultimately, the once majestic castle lay in complete ruins. The partygoers, which had been stationed in the middle of the room, had been released by Li-en and Wonrei and were now quickly dispersing in one fluid movement. It didn't seem like any of them were seriously injured, unless the terrified expressions on their faces counted as such.

It felt liberating to be done with the battle, but I still had plenty of unanswered questions. I most wanted to know how the heck the mamodo returned in the first place. And why, for that matter. There was only one person who could give me those answers.

I looked toward the stage, which miraculously still stood, wincing at the pain that the simple gesture caused. A figure was strewn on the floor, face down. Kory lied deathly still, not even a twitch to indicate he was still alive. Not good. I tried to muster the energy to move toward him, but instead I collapsed. Slowly, Zatch pulled me up.

"Are you okay, Kiyo?" he asked, concern dominating any other emotion in his golden eyes as it always did.

"I'm fine," I lied, gritting my teeth against the pain. "We have to…go see…if Kory is...alright," I told him, managing a small smile as he began helping me forward. Everyone else followed me once they were sure all other bystanders were out of the building. Megumi and Tia hovered close by, and I felt an arm latch around my torso, keeping me steady.

I clenched my jaw in an attempt to hold back any sounds that might give away my agony. As we carefully picked our way through the destruction, my vision began to blur. Every breath, every step, suddenly brought on a fresh onslaught of acute torture to my failing body. I fought to keep my hold on consciousness, willing the dizziness and distress to fade. It was no use. I felt the darkness quickly gaining ground, pushing my feeble efforts to stay awake back with more force every time.

"Kiyo!" I heard Zatch's distant voice calling to me, his own cries soon echoed by the rest of the crew. "Kiyo, we're almost to Kory. Please stay awake for a little longer."

I'm trying, I tried to answer, but all that came out was a gasp or something to that effect. Even though I still stood, I couldn't remain conscious any longer. Slowly and unwillingly, my wavering ties to reality broke and I drifted. Away from the battle won. Away from awaiting answers.

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This chapter was extremely short, but I really like the way it turned out, so let me know about your thoughts on it! Review!

_**Cocoacharm15**_


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